BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Police Command in Lagos State said on Monday that it had begun investigation into the alleged viral rape video purportedly depicting students of Chrisland School, Lagos.
Spokesman for the command, Superintendent of Police, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alabi, ordered the investigation.
The video of a 10-year-old female student of Chrisland Schools Lagos, allegedly raped by fellow students during a trip to Dubai, UAE, went viral recently.
The incident reportedly happened when the students traveled to Dubai to participate in the World School Games from March 10 to 13, where the school won over 30 medals.
Hundeyin quoted the police boss as saying that the investigation would establish the identities of the players in the video, the true incident in the video, and the geographical location of the incident.
The investigation will also cover the alleged threat to life against a student of the school and circumstances surrounding the alleged repeated pregnancy tests conducted on a student without parental consent.
“The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to an alleged rape video purportedly depicting students of Chrisland School, Lagos, going viral on social media.
“The command is equally cognizant of the cybercrime angle to the whole episode and will not hesitate to enlist the support of the Interpol should the need arise.
“For a holistic and unbiased investigation, the command shall be working with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and non-governmental organisations,” he said.
He gave the assurance that due diligence would be observed to ensure that there was no miscarriage of justice.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has shut down all Chrisland Schools in the state until the completion of investigations into the alleged sexual violence involving students of the school in Dubai.
Folashade Adefisayo, Commissioner for Education, said in a statement on Monday, that “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland Schools which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.
“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and psycho-social support is provided.
“This is to reassure members of the public of the state government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centred institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AA08 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Programme.
“We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person, who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to a custodial sentence of 14 years. This includes producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography.
“Meantime, all Chrisland Schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.”
